Lallee's Cottage

More Decorations

2009-12-22T09:37:00.001-05:00

Here is a quick post to share the rest of my decorations. The kitchen is where I really get to set out my favorite colors and add some whimsy.

Wal-Mart has such adorable little dishes in greens and reds this year. I only bought these two little dishes, and they will go in my studio after Christmas. If you haven’t seen yet, you must see the table Tina of Cherry Hill Cottage has set with these dishes. So adorably cheerful. Don’t you love the round Coca Cola bottle? Those were at Wal-Mart also. Wouldn’t a whole display of them be cute at a party?

Before I forget, Wal-Mart also has Scottie PJ’s for $10! Cute and soft!

The next photos show the shelves in the living room and the pass through. I didn’t add much this year, not wanting to pack away things to make room. This is one of the areas I scaled back ;-)

The pass through contains some favorite items. Since I wasn’t able to put up my Scottie tree this year, I still HAD to use the sweet Scottie tree skirt that Becky of Sweet Cottage Dreams made for me a previous Christmas. The nativity above it reminds me that Jesus came to make all things new. The vignette reminds me to keep those who are hurting this Christmas in my prayers. The lion and lamb will one day lie down together in peace…..and no more tears will fall.

This beautiful angel was given to me this year by my Bible study friend Pat. She is beautiful (the angel and Pat), and I love the nativity on the skirt.

With just a few days till Christmas I hope your week is going well and you are able to enjoy the moments! Thank you stopping by!

Here Comes Santa!!!

2009-12-20T09:17:00.001-05:00

Hey Sawyer and Oliver, come look!

I see Santa Claus!

Ha ha ha ha ha! Made you look ;-) Suckers.

Hey, it was just a joke. Let me back in!

Pretty pweeze?????? Dogs just can’t take a cat joke.

XO,

Finnegan

Decorating for Christmas~Like Eating Potato Chips

2009-12-18T10:14:00.001-05:00

In the future, when I say I’m not going to decorate much for Christmas, just ignore me, OK? It’s kind of like eating potato chips. You just keep adding one more thing.

It’s kind of Mr. H’s fault this year. He got down all the boxes for me so I could choose a few things from each box. That was my plan. Then he went away on a business trip before the boxes could go back in the attic. I’d be sitting in my favorite chair working on some handmade gifts and watching Christmas movies on Hallmark. I’d look at the decorations and think, wouldn’t such and such be nice to bring out after all. And to the boxes I would go, hunting and grabbing just a little bit more!

The living room decorations might be my most favorite ever—it’s really me. I pulled out all the things I really love and made the work of putting them out very simple. You know, putting out a little here and a little there drug out over several days—why, it seems like no work at all. (Let’s not think about the putting away later.) The wood thingy on the coffee table? I cannot remember what they are called, but I found it for a song at a thrift store one year. It was only missing one candle holder. Love it!

I brought out the afghan my mother made, and I just love all the colors with the decorations. The picture of my parents on the table is a favorite of mine.

I took some close-ups of the tree—so many special ornaments. They are a real mish-mash of nativities, angels, Santas, and of course Scotties collected over many years. (No Scottie tree this year—with concerns of new kitty antics.) Many of the ornaments are treasures made by the boys and dear friends, or represent something very special to me. One of the things I really enjoy is seeing your ornaments and what is special to you. I fear I have inundated you with photos!

Today, I have a ham to pick up for a dinner this weekend with my side of the family on the other side of the state. I have handmade gifts to finish, and a package to prepare for the mail. Our fridge is bare of groceries because I’ve been so busy, so I’ll need to trek there as well. It’s going to be raining all day—not good planning for an errand day, but fa-la-la, I’m in good spirits! I hope you are too!

Tree Trimming and Surprised by Joy

2009-12-15T09:25:00.002-05:00

The tree is now trimmed and the stockings are hung with care. Like many of you, getting out the decorations and putting on Christmas music centers me into the joy of Christmas and all its meaning once again.

It reminds me of the joy, sheer joy, in the gift of God’s Son to a very broken world. I was thinking about my ailing in-laws, their broken state physically and spiritually. I’m listening this morning to a mix of Christmas tunes sung by various artists—a freebie of 20 songs from iTunes. I had to stop typing and see who was singing a beautiful version of Silent Night. It was Wynona, and these words grabbed my heart:

“Shepherds quake at the sight,

Glories stream from heaven afar,”

That’s right. I remember now. His glory came down and His glory streams into the broken world, bringing healing. I didn’t intend to share this in this post, but maybe you need the reminder for a concern in your life too. His presence seems far away sometimes, but really is very, very near.

I’ll share the fun and details of the ornaments in another post when I have better light for picture taking.

In case you’re wondering from my last post how the kitties are behaving with their first Christmas tree experience, they are doing very well. I am happy to report they do not seem inclined to do any climbing!

I have some stuffed ornaments and one old crochet bell that I always hang at the bottom of the tree for the cats to discover. Finnegan has been having a delightful time with the bell and I love hearing the little jingling off and on all day.

Would you like to come play with him? He is such a sweetheart.

Thank you, my friends, for your kind visit. May God’s love stream down, and may the joy of His coming invade your heart too.

I Work ~ They Play

2009-12-10T10:04:00.006-05:00

While I was ironing this week, I heard a tussle going on under my craft table. Soon after, these two spilled out from underneath.

I ironed…….they wrestled…….and then spilled my packing boxes from under the table. Who needs TV when they iron? Not me.

And when I am sitting at the computer enjoying your blogs, this has started to happen. I am happily clicking around with my mouse, thoroughly entertained and forgetting about my age spots.

And then all of a sudden something from the back of the drawer grabs my hand.

YIKES!!!!!!!!!

What the hey??????? Oh, hi Finnegan. Aren’t you proud of your funny self scaring me like that. Look at him just lurking there waiting for my hand to return!

I think he likes to hear me scream. The punk!

So, my tree is still not decorated......in case you were wondering. The tree is up, lights are shining, no ornaments. Today I had planned to finally decorate it, but here is what dawned on me. We leave tomorrow and will be gone for the weekend. Cats home, tree with ornaments, their first Christmas. Are you getting a frightful image for when I return like I am? I think I’ll wait till Monday now. Sigh.

So, who do you think won the wrestling match? I’ll let you decide.

(Who still doesn’t have a decorated tree. It’s their fault!)

New Items in the Shop

2009-12-06T16:26:00.005-05:00

I've been filling up my ~~neglected~~ Etsy shop with some winter items. We turned on our heat in FL for the first time today. I may be able to actually use some warm items myself! The colder temp sure helps it feel more like Christmas.

(Pin not included.)

This beautiful pink yarn has been discontinued. How could they????? It is the most perfect soft pink I have ever found. Update: This next one has been sold.

Now you know why my decorations aren't up yet. Dear Santa, I would like 1,000 hours of free time.

XO,
Lallee

Things on the Farm

2009-12-05T10:20:00.000-05:00

One of the things I really enjoyed on my visit to my son's was taking pictures of buildings and equipment on the farm across the street from his home. It was a wonderful opportunity to play in Photoshop, which I haven't done much of lately.

For example, this hay raker:

This old log cabin and vintage tractor--you know that RED pulled me right over:

I had to take a peek in the back window:

Oh, is that a pie cabinet? Love the color.

Look what was sitting on top!!!!! A vintage doll house!

The barn cats were plentiful, huge in size, and beautiful.

I don't know where to stop with showing the pictures so here are more random selections.

Oliver and Baggins enjoyed the visit too, with Oliver watching the giant Scotties (cows) across the street, and Baggins chasing the falling leaves. They formed friendship with kitty Gus, the most laid back cat on the whole planet. Mr. H always had a warm lap the whole week! Gus especially favored him. I think Mr. H was secretly using cat nip to lure Gus ;-)

The rest of my photos will be in this set on Flickr as I get them edited. I think I have already over-indulged you, so many thanks for looking!

I have a tree and decorations to put up, your blogs to catch up on, and a very, very important SEC championship game to watch today! Go Gators!

XO,
Lallee

Meet the Cows

2009-12-04T07:41:00.007-05:00

I loved taking photos of the cows on the farm across the street from my son's home in North Carolina. Their faces are just irresistible. Here are my favorites. And don't you know I had to give them names?

Meet Phantom of the Pasture:

I think she's giving me attitude in this one!

Next is Lone Red, who stood out from all the black cows in the pasture. She has a sweet white face and a pink nose.

I almost missed Itty Bitty laying far away in the grass. Can you find her?

I'll blow the picture up so you can see better. She must belong to Lone Red.

Last is Lulu Belle. She was lounging near the fence, so I could get some close ups.

I'm seeing beautiful Christmas decorations on your blogs. I think we're finally putting the tree up today. This weekend I will slowly begin to do a few decorations........but first I have more NC pics to share with you. Thank you for visiting!

PS Dana, if you're reading this, you made ME cry yesterday! XO to you!

XO,
Lallee

NC Visit~A Boy and His Dog

2009-12-03T08:18:00.010-05:00

We really enjoyed our visit at our son's in North Carolina. Michael lives out in the country not so far from Chapel Hill. To a mother, the men-sons in her life will always be 'boys' in her mind. Let me share in this post about the boy and his dog I mentioned previously.

When I was cleaning closets out last month, I found this very long forgotten cross stitch I had made for the boy's room years ago. As soon as I saw it I thought how prophetic it was--the boy and his dog. It is now placed in my studio so I can see if often.

A farm with cattle is just across the street from Michael's home. One of my favorite pastimes while visiting was walking the dogs through the farm. We're coming, Eko. I need to snap pictures as I walk. The Scotties and I will catch up soon.

I've been enjoying seeing Michael's photos of his new rescue Eko, so I had to take him out alone for my own photo op. Eko is a real marshmallow love, and quite a clown playing. Here he is with his big stick.

"Where's my boy?"

Boy loves dog~dog loves boy.

Michael got a great pic of Eko with Baggins and Oliver, so I'm stealing it. Here's a link to his photos to make up for it ;-) The dogs got along very well. We just had to show Eko a gentler way to play, as he is still very much puppy.

I'll show you some of the farm pics next time. Meanwhile, I'll be thinking about the boy and his dog........and missing them again.

XO,
Lallee

Peppermint Twist Pot Holders

2009-12-02T06:56:00.004-05:00

Did you have a wonderful Thanksgiving? We did while we visited my son in NC. I'm still editing some photos. In the meantime here's what I was doing during the 20 hours of car ride to and from NC!

Peppermint twist pot holders are ready for stockings or hostess gifts. Washable 100% cotton, and backed in solid color for double thickness.

They are perfect for taking from the oven all those favorite Christmas cookies you'll be baking.

These are now available in my Etsy shop. I also hope to add more fingerless mittens, so check back from time to time.

Thank you for the visit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-23T07:10:00.002-05:00

Too all my blogging friends,
have a very blessed Thanksgiving
with your loved ones.
Safe travel for those who will be on the road or in the air.
See you again soon!
XOXO,
Lallee

Mittens, Kittens, and Yarn

2009-11-20T07:00:00.004-05:00

I have seen so many beautiful fingerless gloves on Flickr lately, especially the colored striped varieties inspired by the talented Lucy of Attic24. I wanted a pair for myself in autumn colors to wear when we visit our son in NC.

Speaking of yarn, I had to show you this cute photo and caption. When I'm not reading blogs, you can often find me reading LOL Cat captions at Can I Has Cheezburger. I get my daily LOL there.

I added texture to the next pair. I'm not liking these as much--too chunky looking this way. I made them too large so I will most likely be frogging this pair. For those who don't crochet or knit, that means ripping (ribit) it apart.

Let's look at another caption. I can't stop myself. LOL cats have their own way of talking......and spelling.

Last is my favorite pair of fingerless gloves. I'll be putting these in my Etsy shop.

Yarn and cats can be like peas and carrots you know. Let's LOL one more time. Sometimes I worry my yarn closet will look like this.

I hope you've had a good LOL for the day now. If you need more you can visit here.

Thank you so much for your kind comments about Maggie (last post), and your welcome to Eko. They are so appreciated, and my son says thank you too. I look forward to meeting Eko soon.

XO,
Lallee

A Sad Goodbye and Happy Hello

2009-11-18T07:32:00.002-05:00

I have been putting this post off since August, hoping for a new ending.....and not emotionally ready to share with you. I'm still not ready really, but I need to.

If you've been visiting Lallee's Cottage for a while, then you know Maggie our grand Scottie, who is owned by our oldest son. Sadly, Maggie disappeared from home suddenly one morning before her breakfast. Just gone into thin air in a matter of moments, not to be found. The not knowing and lack of closure has been difficult, painful, heartbreaking. She had a microchip so we still hold out vague hope. You never know.

We all miss Maggie. She was a man's dog, all rough-tough Scottish Terrier through and through. A boy and his dog. Memories to last a lifetime.

Born in the south on a Christmas day, I had to add to her name despite my son's shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Maggie Magnolia Mistletoe. Grandmothers can do what they want, right? She joined us at our house every Christmas.

I called her Maggie Moo. She is shown here with Baggins.

This is one of my favorite photos of Maggie with Oliver. I always pretended she was whispering sweet nothings to her boyfriend. The truth is they were more like siblings, and she was probably telling bro Oliver that all balls were hers as long as she was visiting.

She liked to take my chair on her visits too.

As the time of Maggie's loss went by, our son was finally ready to find a new pal. He wasn't ready for another Scottie. I was so happy to know he was getting another companion. He researched carefully and came home with a very lovable Pit Bull Terrier. Forget all the connotations this breed name carries. Mr. Eko (named from the series Lost) was temperament tested before adoption. Eko has yet to meet a person, dog, or cat that he doesn't like. To quote my son--not a mean bone in his body. (There are no bad dogs--just dirty rotten owners.) Eko and his siblings were rescued from living life chained outdoors and being poorly fed, and who knows what else.

Would you like to meet him? This was his shelter pic that first lured my son to go check him out. That one ear up--one ear down pose would have tempted me too.

He's now a very happy puppy in his forever home don't you think?

He loves his new pal Gus, and vice-versa.

He loves to play in his new yard--chain free.

Eko, keep watching out that front door because company is coming for Thanksgiving, and we can't wait to meet you!

Thank you for letting me share both of these special dogs with you. If you'd like to see more photos of Maggie, here is a slide show of my son's wonderful photography. Maggie, we will never forget you.

XO,
Lallee

Office Reveal

2009-11-16T08:00:00.002-05:00

(I've had trouble with font size for this post and I have given up the wrestling match with blogger, so if there are several sizes I apologize!)

The office redo is complete apart from the ongoing tweaking. I'll walk you through the changes. This is a his and her office. Mr. H actually comes to work here every day. You should see him on casual Friday ;-)

This is the her side. Our new desks are from the Christopher Lowell collection found at Office Depot. We're very pleased with the quality. The new commercial carpet is working much better for us.

The framed prints to the far left will get painted black. I'm already accessorizing the top of the hutch, but not in these photos.

Below the TV is a stand that holds my printer and scanner. They always get so dusty so I think I'm going to keep it covered with the fabric. I like how it covers up the clutter as well. The white cable concealer going up the wall will be painted to match the wall color. We also used that to run the cables across the room. It is placed on the front of the base board (right side of printer stand). You don't even notice it, so it was well worth using.

I had not added any curtains when I took these first photos. I have looked at that bare rod for four years at least! I'm a major procrastinator when it comes to sewing.

Now lets look at his side of the office. Ignore the placement of the prints on the wall. We'll get around to redoing them some day so they are balanced better. The cabinet to the left of his desk is for all his files.

Yes, he uses all the computers while he is working. The desk top photo on the large monitor is a favorite photo of mine. Our oldest son took this of his dad on one of their many fishing trips. It will get framed and go on the wall soon.

Over the closet is a print our youngest son gave his father. It's 'The Swamp' where our Florida Gators play--undefeated so far this season. Rah, rah!

Here's just a little bit of the details on my desk--ever changing, I'm sure. I almost didn't get the hutch, but I'm so glad I decided to! The Lab photo is beloved Murphy, who we still miss. The little creamer is hiding my paper clips, and rubber bands are in the green glass.

My little Mary Engelbreit statue stands guard for when I need an attitude adjustment.

My desk is never without my favorite pencil holder.

Here are the curtain in progress. First, I hung painter's drop cloths, which are made from cotton duck cloth. I see why these have become so popular for drapery use. They are a lot of fabric for a small price--$11.00 each for 9 x 6 feet panels. I'm using them to get the full length to the floor since I don't have enough of the floral fabric.

Right now I'm just trying this look out before I sew any edges. What I think I want to do is add black fringe (which I can't find) to the bottom of the fabric, and then a stripe of it near the bottom of the beige. I think this would bring them together for some continuity. Another thought is to add a strip of solid black fabric to the bottom of the floral so the length would come to the bottom of the window instead of just above. This may not be happening until the first of the year when the schedule calms back down post holiday however.

Thank you so much for taking a look! I have zero fall decorations in the house....but the office is done!

The Winner is........

2009-11-13T08:49:00.006-05:00

Thank you one and all for stopping by
and entering my give-away.

I'm working my way through visiting each one
of your blogs.
XOXOXOXO!!!!!

Welcome to all the new visitors!
I hope you will visit again.

The winner of this....

....and the other goodies was chosen by using the
counter at random.org.

And now, what you are waiting to hear.....

the winner is #30!

Kathryn, your package will be in the mail on Monday.
Enjoy, and I hope it keeps you (or one of your grands)
cozy this winter.

Coming next on Lallee's Cottage:
The office makeover.
Did you think I forgot????
No way!

A Thank You Give-Away

2009-11-06T10:31:00.005-05:00

This thank you is way overdo! I have appreciated your support for my crochet work whether it be via your compliments, your comments, and/or your purchases. Selling publicly was a BIG, BIG step for me. Unbeknown to you, I used the profit from my Etsy sales to give an additional donation to my church for the building of a beautiful youth center. This wonderful facility was completed this past year. Many students from our community enjoy fellowship there and hear the gospel of God's love for them. Thank you so much!

As a small token of how much I appreciate you, I would like to give away this crocheted afghan made in cheerful cottage colors. It's a small size to keep your lap warm or decorate your cottage.

Some extra goodies will be added to it too.

To put your name in the hat, just leave a comment in this post. If you don't have a blog identity, you must leave an email address. I will keep the drawing open until Thursday, November 12; midnight, EST.

Again, thank you for your visits and comments.

I couldn't have done this without you!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

A Wedding Weekend

2009-10-26T10:50:00.005-04:00

We spent the weekend in Orlando to attend the wedding of a couple very dear to us. The bride was as beautiful as I expected, and the groom was as handsome as ever. My youngest son served as the best man. He looked very dapper too......and I forgot my camera! All the photos were taken with our phone.

We stayed at a beautiful resort where the reception was held. Are you always eager as I am to see what your room is going to look like? I was not disappointed.

The weather was beautiful, as was our view from our 11th floor room.

We partied like we were 20 years old and woke up feeling like 80 years old. LOL No regrets. It was a grand event to celebrate. We would not have missed it for the world. Wishing the bride and groom God's very best blessings for their marriage.

I have the office to finish putting back together, tons of files to sort through and toss. Hello Monday. How was your weekend?

It is Very, Very Quiet!

2009-10-22T06:43:00.007-04:00

It is very, very quiet in our office and my desk has been dismantled. I took an unintended blogging break while we redid our office with new carpet and desks. Mr. H and I could not take the clicking, clicking, clicking of the dog nails on the parquet floor any longer! He works full time in this home office and it was not making for a very professional atmosphere while on conference calls. It was also wearing on our nerves. We packed up everything in the office, and then placed it all over the house until the commercial carpet was installed--furniture, boxes, and zillions of books. My desk gets delivered today and I will do a full reveal next week when things are in place.

Here is what has been going on while we were busy working. The house was a mine field of fun for the cats. The kitties saw all of it as their personal jungle gym. They have played and played, and then played some more.

Finnegan wants to know how Chelsea got in that box. The poor dear kept scratching on the outside trying to get her.

They love playing under Mr. H's new desk. Our old desks were not accessible this way.

Here's a sneak peak of Mr. H's side and his new desk. Notice the Scotties are already back on their daily patrol. Construction did not deter them one bit. They were relieved I was leaving the bench for them so they could stay employed too.

Sawyer says come back next week to see the rest. No more clicking of 12 paws!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A big thank you to Tina of Cherry Hill Cottage for choosing Lallee's Cottage in her top ten of cottage style blogs on blog.com. What a wonderful surprise!!! I love visiting her blog and seeing her wonderful decorating.....and then there are her wonderful recipes. I've made her Heavenly Cake three times recently. I now sport heavenly wide hips to prove it. Unbeknown to Tina, I invited friends over this evening to try her Chocolate Cobbler. My friends said, "Chocolate what?" They're British. I said I was sure we would need some vanilla ice cream to cut the chocolate ;-) Thank you, Tina. I will be saluting you tonight!

So What Did I Decide?

2009-09-25T13:43:00.008-04:00

My dear, dear blogging friends. You are the best! Thank you so much for all your suggestions and thoughts for the two pieces of furniture I was contemplating painting. It was huge help in moving me toward a decision. So.......here is what I decided. The little oval table will stay just as it is. I agree that painting would make it too dark and it would be lost. I love the details around the edges and didn't want to lose that part. Next, notice that the desk is no longer behind the sofa. It has been moved to another room and this table has been ordered as a replacement. I think it will go nicely.

Becky asked what about putting some pillows on the couch. Well Becky, I snorted laughing when I read your comment because it was from you of all people. That's because I have a pillow bandit in the house. I actually do have an assortment of pillows that belong on the couch. I forgot to put them back on when I was taking the photos last week. You see, the Pillow Bandit continually knocks all the pillows on the floor!!!! You'll never guess who it might be--none other than Oliver. Ollie, put your ears back up, you're not in trouble. I just had to explain to Becky. Somehow I know she understands about my plain looking couch now ;-)

Now, let's go see where that desk went to. Let's walk back to the studio.

The desk/dresser is now where I always wanted it to be. I already had the matching dresser and nightstand back here. I justed needed for hubby to remove some equipment he had back here to make room.

I still plan to do some furniture painting--bright colors painting. This is my cheerful get-away room, and the space I am really free to do just what I want. Let me say though, I am slow about getting furniture painting done. I'll get to it probably long after you've forgotten this post. LOL If you look in the dictionary, you'll see my photo by the word procrastination.

I did some cleaning up while I was back here--still playing with the set up. I'm going to try to keep the table under the window less cluttered so that it remains a true work space. I would like to remove the covers on it and then cover just the top with maybe some oilcloth. Right now I have shipping boxes stored below which aren't too pretty. I need to clean out a hall closet and then hopefully they will store there instead.

The studio remains a work in progress, but this made me feel a step closer to how I want it to look and function.

Again, BIG THANK YOU for helping me think all this through. You must come back because I am putting together a give-away for you precious friends! Don't forget!

To Paint or Not to Paint

2009-09-16T09:14:00.008-04:00

To paint or not to paint--that is the question.

I've been debating for a very long time about painting my two white pieces of furniture in the living room black. My style has always been somewhat eclectic so my tables are a real mix of styles. The above photo gives you the overall look. So.....I bring the question to you my blogger friends because I want conflicting answers just to add to my indecision ;-) So let's see what you think. Let's start with the oval table which was a thrift buy I repainted many years ago. (You can click on any picture to enlarge.) This shows it with the accompanying tables.

And here is a better close-up. To me it looks kind of too feminine with my large pieces.

And then there is this dresser from my childhood that serves as a sofa table/desk. Ignore the lack of decor on it--something to do about it being a launching pad for kitties bounding over the couch.....but lets not go there. This piece bothers me the most being white (antiqued actually). It looks way too feminine ever since we bought the large leather couch. Besides black, a subdued red would be another possible color choice.

Here are two very crude photoshopped pics of the desk in black and in red. I do want to mention that this room gets lots of light. My pictures always look darker due to the light coming in from the porch area. (I would be changing the chair cover to something more appropriate.)

OK, let's have your thoughts. To paint or not to paint--that is the question. I'll answer first: I'm leaning towards black. Now your turn. Confuse me!

Chelsea Does Art

2009-09-14T09:37:00.005-04:00

Remember when I was doing the bathroom makeover recently and part of the decision making was choosing a new toilet paper holder? Well I thought I had found the cat's meow with the above design. After it was installed I decided I would never have another holder that has the springy thing that you put the roll on. You know--the ones that spring themselves across the room when you're trying to put new paper on? With this style it just slips right on. No more wars over who replaces the roll. Well, it also rolls faster and Miss Chelsea Ann Babycakes discovered this little fact. The toilet paper is now a cat toy.

In addition to rolling off reams of paper, Chelsea has learned that she can do art with the tissue. The toilet paper is now her blank canvas. She's a real Picasso I tell you. Take a look.

She's especially into self portraits. You can see it if you look closer. Here, I'll adjust the levels of the photo so you can see the details better. Do you see her kitty face there?

I was a spoil sport and shooed her away......but she came back and finished her masterpiece once I was gone.

Anyone want a signed copy before her prices skyrocket? She's right proud of herself.

A Slice of Heaven

2009-09-10T14:00:00.003-04:00

Please, won't you have a little (or big) slice of heaven with me? I found this wonderful.....gooey........oh my goodness.....delicious in your mouth.....recipe for Heavenly Cake over at Tina's of Cherry Hill Cottage. It is so easy to make and you might already have the needed ingredients on hand. You could make your own right away. I would love to share with you, but you better hurry real fast and get here. This cake doesn't last long. Oh, and I might add that I refrigerate left overs and then microwave a slice for 20 seconds before serving to get it gooey good again. And um, vanilla ice cream on top doesn't spoil it a bit.

My ladies Bible study group started back up this week and it was so good to be back together. It just seemed appropriate to take along some Heavenly Cake to serve and kick off the new year together.

Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy your favorite team's football game. Hope you win.....unless you're playing the Florida Gators of course ;-) Tailgating? Take some Heavenly Cake but be prepared to beat the fans and foes off. Thank you Tina for such a delicious dessert.

Shells~Seasonally Late

2009-09-07T10:53:00.009-04:00

It seems I've been running seasonally late the past year with my decorating. The shells never came out of the box until the middle of the summer. I am already seeing pumpkins cropping up on blogs, but it is still warm and muggy here in Florida. I am still enjoying cooler looking vignettes for now. I shared my shells in the master bath recently when we redid that room. These shells are in my living room. (Every day that I had time to take pictures it was overcast so please excuse the dark photos.)

The corner table displays store bought starfish and apothecaries of the broken shells and pebbles I was drawn to while on vacation. I love the color and textures of both.

I kept the adornment on the mantel simple with more store bought starfish along with broken conchs and lightening whelk I have gathered at the beach. Isn't the pink inside the conch beautiful?

The coffee table has displays of a variety of shells, many of these being store bought as well. I do have some favorite found shells and coral tucked in, along with a horseshoe crab.

Now if you just have to have some orange right now, let me oblige with another pic of new kitty Finnegan Faux Paw. He and I thank you for your kind welcomes in the last post. He and Chelsea have become fast friends, and he has lost any fear of the harmless dogs. When he fattens up some he is going to be a real beauty I think.

Thank you each and every one for your visits. Mr. H returned home from his parents after being away for a whole month. This weekend has been wonderful having him back home! I hope it has been as delightful for you too.

A New Somebody at Lallee's Cottage

2009-09-03T11:18:00.009-04:00

Yes, there is another new baby dwelling here. Let me introduce you to Finnegan Faux Paw. We have always had a special fondness for orange tabbies and he is now the fourth we have owned. I've been watching the local shelter online all summer, and a beautiful litter of them appeared. Oh, it was soooooo very hard to choose which one to bring home!

My son Daniel came along. I was smitten with the good looks of the little guy on the left--beautiful pattern of marbled stripes, cute round eyes. I thought he would be the one that we would adopt. However, mister lover mooshy guy Finnegan (on right) would not give up the act 'pick me, pick me, pick me!!!" The other little guy was a wild thing and gave us little attention. If you've been to a shelter then you know what I'm talking about. Cats pick you. So.......Finnegan won the lottery and came home with us. I wish I could have brought them all home. Sigh.

Did you notice his toes? He has an extra one on each foot. Terradactyl feet. Ernest Hemmingway cat ;-)

And he has big ears, longish fur. He's going to be a big one I think, almost a clone of our first orange tabby Dickens.

You're wondering what Chelsea Ann Babycakes thinks of this new guy in her territory?

She's establishing who's the top-boss.

She bops his head and growls. No claws, all show. Frustrated that he just looks at her and doesn't react. It's all quite funny.

Finnegan is a total lap-cat sweetheart. He's slowly learning the dogs are harmless mooshes themselves. Mr. H can't wait to finally come home this weekend and meet him. I'm already crazy about him.

Some sad news that I never have shared--sweet gentle giant Milo had to be put down back in June. He suffered from diabetes for six years and he finally reached a point where his insulin wasn't working. He was only having bad days. He was a one of a kind, Daniel's first pet. He was the star of my second caption contest. We miss him.

Here is a video of Finnegan and Chelsea. More head bopping.

Silly cats. Happy house.

Iraqi Bundles of Love

2009-08-31T08:30:00.009-04:00

*~*~*~* Deadline for mailing September 8 *~*~*~*

When I read about this opportunity via Happy Zombie, I knew I had to jump in and participate. Time is short but doable. Maybe you would like to join in too! Do you have a stash of fabric and/or yarn you would part with to send love overseas to Iraq? 'Mr. IBOL', (that's what I call him) is a US soldier who is a son and husband of quilters. He came up with a wonderful idea for reaching out with bundles of love. He is leaving Iraq soon but wants to do this one more thing to help leave Iraq better than he found it. It's a beautiful idea. You can read full details on his blog rather than my reinventing the wheel.

Just pack up your bundles per instructions and mail in the $11.95 USPS flat rate box. Easy-peasy. Some additional info from Mr. IBOL that he included in an email:

"Bigger is definitely better -- bigger pieces of fabric, bigger spools of yarn (send the whole bolt; don't sent the whole sheep). Green, by the way, is a favorite color in this culture."

Here is what I am including in mine for an example. I also added some needles and pins.

You didn't know I used to do a little quilting did you? If Carolyn is reading this, do you remember buying some of these with me many years ago? The pretty soft yellows? We both actually finished our projects! Here's mine. All hand sewn. I will always look at this now and remember that bundle of love I shipped off to far, far away.

Happy Zombie made the beautiful IBOL button at the top! Thank you HZ for spreading the word.

Updated: My package is now in the mail.

Chelsea Ann Babycakes is crossing her paws hoping she can be the barracks pinup girl.